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Chatham Life & Style

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Chatham Life & Style is a digital magazine based in central North Carolina. Since 2018, we have sought to amplify queer, neurodivergent, BIPOC, and women writers as they speak to and about our community through music & theatre reviews and events coverage. If you are interested in writing with us, please reach out.

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THEATRE REVIEW: Bring it On at NCT Conservatory: Two Thumbs Up!

July 11, 2019|Mom & Son, theatre

by Rachel Kasten & Emory Kasten

Photo courtesy of NC Theatre Conservatory.
Photo courtesy of NC Theatre Conservatory.

presented by NC Theatre Conservatory

Hermann Athletic Center, William Peace University

July 6, 2019

Mom Says: Thumbs Up 👍

In the pantheon of movies-turned-musicals, Bring It On is a strange addition. The musical has almost nothing in common with the plot of the movie beyond the theme of high school cheerleading, and the music is...fine. Much is made of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s contribution to the music and lyrics and, while a few of his signature verbal flourishes are present (“Y’all think cheerleading is feminine? Then I’m a feminist swimmin’ in women, gentlemen.”), the overstuffed score is instantly forgettable. However, by experimenting with site-specific theatre, in which a real world setting (here, the Hermann Athletic Center gymnasium at William Peace University) takes the place of elaborate sets and backdrops, North Carolina Theatre’s Summer Theatre Arts School (STAS) manages to improve on its source material.

Did I believe the cast could be nationally-competitive cheerleaders? Well, not really. The national tour and Broadway productions smartly filled their ensemble with cheerleading ringers, but the triple-threat talent of the STAS performers easily compensates for their lack of gymnastic prowess.

Truman High School’s cheer captain and popular-without-being-horrible Campbell (Chloe Calhoun) is suddenly transferred to Jackson High, a lower-income urban school. Campbell dangles the possibility of college scholarships in front of Danielle (Charlie Byrd), leader of Jackson’s hip hop dance crew, to convince her to form a cheerleading squad and compete against Truman High. The show makes some sharp, if fleeting, commentary on race and class, as Danielle rails on the audacity of Campbell to prey on people - mostly people of color - who are lacking in financial opportunity. Of course this is all wrapped up tidily, with a surprisingly wholesome message that the real prizes are the friends we make along the way.

Calhoun does the majority of the heavy-lifting in the first act, and she is superb. The character experiences panic attacks, and Calhoun manages to physically carry this tension in her body. Her voice is lovely, and she pulls off humor as easily as she does heartbreak (just wait until you see her slow-motion twerk in a leprechaun mascot costume). She is also a generous scene partner.

Byrd, as Danielle, bubbles with natural star power and instantly commands the stage. With a little work on her vocal control, she has a successful theatre career ahead of her. As Danielle’s friends/minions, Grace Boudah (as Nautica) and Nico Jerez (as La Cienaga) have the tightest harmonies in the show, and their chemistry left me wanting a spinoff. La Cienaga is written as a transgender female, and Jerez smartly leans into the genderqueerness of the role. I could not keep my eyes off of Boudah as Nautica, who powered through some second act mic problems like a professional; I hope we all have the opportunity to see her in a lead role soon. Thank you to NC Theatre Conservatory for ensuring that these characters - who cannot be played by white actors for the show’s racial dynamics to work - were cast appropriately.

Photo courtesy of NC Theatre Conservatory.
Photo courtesy of NC Theatre Conservatory.


Fellow redistricted student Bridget is written as largely one-dimensional (imagine if Penny Pingleton from Hairspray said “ass” a lot; that’s Bridget), but Greyson Huneycutt gives the part her all; she is a gifted singer and comedian. Whitley Lynn shines as self-described “beyotch” Skylar, with the strongest belt in this super-talented cast. As Eva, Ellen Pierce makes an extremely slappable villain, though she has unfortunately been saddled with some truly atrocious wigs.

There is plenty of talent among the male characters as well, though they aren’t given quite as much to do. Michael Phillips has confidence and gorgeous pop-infused vocals as Campbell’s love interest Randall. Stephan Emmanuel also showcases a smooth voice as Jackson High student Cameron, while Micah Jordan is magnetic as Bridget’s love interest Twig. The show would fall flat without a few standouts in the ensemble, including Anne-Sophie Hill, Reaghan Given, Michelle Demunk, and Michael Lassiter. As one of the youngest (and smallest) cast members, both squads use Lassiter as a flyer in their stunts.

While STAS could have gotten away with scaling down the technical demands of the production (they’re in a gym!), Lighting Designer Stevan Dupor has brought in a truss system and a dizzying number of light cues. During the first act, some of the ensemble mics were distorted, but overall the sound design is excellent; I can’t state enough how challenging this is to do in a gym. The only design element that falls flat is the costuming. The Truman High uniforms are far too loose and shapeless, and the variety in undergarments is distracting - bloomers are part of every cheer uniform, and every member should be wearing identical ones. The Jackson High students have visually interesting clothing that nicely contrasts with the pastel world of Truman, but their cheer outfits are a bit of a mess.

I commend NC Theatre for their willingness to experiment, which keeps things interesting for audiences and is a great learning experience for these young artists. I could (and surely will) sing the praises of STAS and this cast for the rest of the summer. -- R. Kasten

Photo courtesy of NC Theatre Conservatory.
Photo courtesy of NC Theatre Conservatory.


Son Says: Thumbs Up 👍

Bring It On is about a cheerleading competition. There is this girl named Campbell who is in high school. She moved to another school called Jackson High, where they did hip hop instead of cheerleading. On her first day, the Jackson High students were rude to Campbell. They were shouting “move!” to her in the hallway and not leading her to class. So she taught the Jackson students how to do cheerleading, and then they worked really hard and they got to go to nationals!

The performers were great dancers and good at cheerleading. The choreography was very fast and impressive. The music was fun and made me want to dance, too. Some of the cheerleaders did awesome backflips. It was so cool that the characters danced hip hop and did cheerleading.

Staff Writer Emory Kasten visits "Bring it On" from NC Theatre Conservatory. Photo by Rachel Kasten.
Staff Writer Emory Kasten visits "Bring it On" from NC Theatre Conservatory. Photo by Rachel Kasten.

The girls’ costumes actually looked like cheerleading uniforms, and the boys’ looked like basketball uniforms. Bridget’s costumes were interesting because the clothes looked kind of old; she said she got them from her mom. I liked the black sparkly outfits the dance crew wore.

I really liked the lighting because it was so colorful. They used a lot of blue lights, but sometimes they used green and yellow (Jackson’s team colors) when Jackson was performing. They also used red lighting during the nightmare scenes, which was kind of scary. Sometimes the lights were white and bright and in my eyes.

Campbell and the Jackson students were so good that they reached the finals. It was sad that they did not win, but Campbell’s friend gave her a trophy that said “1st place in every thing that is important.” I really love Campbell because she was a great teacher to the Jackson students and she taught them how to do cheerleading. I loved Bring It On, and you should watch it too! -- E. Kasten


Rachel Kasten, staff writer, has lived and performed on stage and in film in the United States and Canada. She is a Graduate Program Coordinator at NC State University and currently produces and coordinates for the Women’s Theatre Festival. One half of our “Mom & Son” team (with her son, Emory) Rachel reports on family-friendly arts, cultural, and educational events around central North Carolina.

Emory Kasten, staff writer, is an elementary school-aged expert on family-friendly arts and cultural events in central North Carolina, working as one half of our “Mom & Son” team (with his mom, Rachel). A proud Cub Scout currently studying with the Triangle Academy of Dance, Emory is particularly interested in writing about musical theatre and dance.

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